As a Russia sanctions bill appears to have more momentum (see 2511170041), Democratic senators declined to say what tariff levels would be effective or appropriate if it becomes law.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation this week sanctioned Media Land, a Russia-based hosting service provider, for supporting ransomware operations and other cybercrimes. The two countries also sanctioned Media Land employees and associates Aleksandr Volosovik, Kirill Zatolokin and Yulia Pankova and a Media Land sister company, ML.Cloud.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Ryan James Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder for Canada, for being an "extremely violent criminal" believed to be responsible for the killing of people abroad and for involvement in drug trafficking and "other serious criminal activities." OFAC said Wedding is on the FBI's 10 most wanted list and is "hiding" in Mexico.
A potential buyer of Russian energy firm Lukoil's international business will need to obtain a separate authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control -- aside from the agency's existing general license for the firm -- to complete the sale, OFAC said in a new FAQ this week.
Longtime senior Bureau of Industry and Security official Kevin Kurland is leaving the agency next month, multiple people familiar with the matter said. A BIS official said Kurland informed senior agency staff this week that he plans to retire from government before the end of the year.
The notion that the U.S. should continue to sell advanced chips to China to keep the country “hooked” on American semiconductor technology is “deeply misguided,” wrote Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, in a post for the think tank last week.
A group representing European academia and researchers is studying whether AI models can help researchers more easily determine whether their work is subject to EU export controls.
A senior Wassenaar Arrangement official pushed back on criticism against the multilateral export control body, saying it continues to function and serve as an important forum for members despite Russia’s inclusion.
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Banks and logistics providers are more frequently asking exporters about their compliance programs to certify that the goods they’re helping to move don’t violate any trade laws, said Eva Lakova, a director for sanctions and export controls with PricewaterhouseCoopers.